title: Prevalence of rhinitis symptoms among 16 to 18 years old adolescents in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study was designed to estimate the prevalence of rhinitis symptoms among secondary school students in Saudi Arabia
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among children from secondary schools in the city of Riyadh. The study utilised the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 3073 students (1504 boys and 1569 girls), the prevalence of life-time rhinitis, rhinitis in the past 12 months, and hay fever were 43.8%, 38.6% and 21.3%, respectively. There was a significant difference between boys and girls in the prevalence of life-time rhinitis (41% versus 46.5%, p = 0.02) and the prevalence of rhinitis in the past 12 months (35.1% versus 41.9%, p = 0.001). There was no significant difference between boys and girls in the prevalence of hay fever (22.5% versus 20.2%, p = 0.144). The prevalence of asthma symptoms among students with life-time rhinitis and hay fever were 35.4% and 39.9%, respectively. Asthma symptoms were strongly linked with life-time rhinitis (Odds Ratio [OR] = 2.5, p < 0.001) and hay fever (OR = 2.4, p value < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of rhinitis symptoms is high among 16 to 18 years old adolescents in Saudi Arabia, and symptoms are more common in girls compared to boys. Rhinitis symptoms are also associated with a high frequency of asthma symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud-bin-Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. alanezi@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Al-Ghobain
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Al-Moamary
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Al-Hajjaj
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Al-Fayez
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Basha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors